Young Love in an Ancient World
by YamiLover03
Summary: Atem is the young prince of Egypt and one day pharaoh! Tahirah is a young and pretty servant girl who's had to make it on her own in the palace. What happens when the two different worlds meet?
1. Chapter 1

A/N: Hello Everyone! This is my first real fan fiction! It involves a young Atem and my own OC! Thanks for reading I hope you enjoy it! Please read and give me some helpful comments, I need it!

Many tales have been told of Ancient Egypt, but none quite like this one. This story entails the ventures of love, and how it can be found in even the very most unlikely of places. For one young prince, future pharaoh and king of the whole land of Egypt, love was almost the farthest thing from his mind. However, for one young servant girl, all she could think of was the wondrous charm of love and the warmth it could bring.

Ancient Egypt was, of course, the grandest of all ancient empires. Illustrious temples of the gods, huge statues, obelisks and other amazing architectures covered the Nile-fueled civilization, but none surpassed the beauty and pride of the main palace of the king. There was always something going on at the palace, where only the highest of ranking lords and officials were buzzing about. To keep such a mass of events running smoothly to the content of those peoples, there were several servants and slaves. All were owned by the palace and would be used for whatever anyone there so asked of them.

One such servant was a girl named Tahirah. She was very pretty, even at her young age of twelve. With her long flow of chocolate brown hair and dazzling, deep blue eyes, she always stole a lot of attention wherever she served. Attention. Something useless unless there were real feelings behind it. Tahirah had spent most of her life in the palace. She was left there as small child. Whether her parents died or merely gave her away to the palace because they could no longer keep her, nobody knew. Tahirah never seemed to mind serving in the palace, even though it often grew hard on her. At least she had a place to stay and things to do.

Tahirah's favorite job was to help out in the Royal Hall, where all palace business was conducted. She loved hearing about the country and the people, but what she loved the most was seeing the Royal Family. It was an honor, for certain, to even see them, but they often needed a small servant like her during the sometimes long sessions. Of course, there was the Pharaoh. How mighty and glorious he looked upon his throne. And why shouldn't he? They said that the Pharaoh was a god himself. He was powerful, yes, but he also appeared to be kind. Even troubled whenever anything was threatening his people.

Always right beside the Pharaoh, was his son. His son had strange, tri-colored hair that always stuck up, no matter what he did. He also had his father's deep violet eyes, and he was also very handsome for his age. The young prince always seemed alert. A born leader. He had already proven his skill and his intellect a force to be reckoned with. This is who she admired the most. She constantly found herself merely watching him. It at least gave her something to look forward to. She often wondered what it must be like to speak with him, but she would quickly shake the thought from her head. How could she ever do that, anyhow? Besides, she was content. At least, she thought she was.


	2. Chapter 2

One morning, Tahirah awoke shivering upon her tiny and hard servant's bed. She sat up and rubbed her eyes. She sometimes had bad dreams, but she was usually just cold. She got up, looking around. She found that half of the servants were already up and about, attending to whoever needed them. Some were still sleeping as best as they could inside the modest little servants' quarters. She decided to get up. She quickly fastened the clothes that were lying by her bed around her, slipped on her sandals, and left to find out what duties she had for the day.

She sighed, having been assigned her least favorite of jobs: cleaning up after meals. What pigs she thought some of the nobles were. To eat, drink, and party like they did, it almost sickened her. However, as she was on her way to the large dining hall, she was pulled aside and into a dark room. It was soon lit by a torch, held up by a fairly older man.

"What-What do you want?" Tahirah stammered in a small voice, looking up from the burning light of the torch to him.

"Calm down, Girl," the man said in a voice just above a whisper. His voice was gruff, but he didn't seem to want to cause harm. As soon as Tahirah stopped moving he spoke again. "You know them scribes? You know what they do?" he asked.

Tahirah nodded, wondering what he could want with her. Of course she knew what a scribe was. They were the ones that knew how to write. To read and write the sacred text of hieroglyphics. Anyone knew that a scribe was the job to be. You could read all sorts of official documents that had to be copied, as well as many other important things.

"Well, hows about you becoming one, eh?" the man asked her.

Tahirah blinked in surprise. Her? Become a scribe? but how? and why? Before she could even ask the questions, the man seemed to answer them.

"I need you to write some letters for me. I'm too old and I don't have the time to learn ter write. You see, usually only boys become them scribes that know how to write, so they'd never suspect you're writin' stuff for me. You're just a servant girl… Of course, you'll still have yer duties to tend to, but you can do this on the side. I have a boy that I'm payin' that can teach you how. So, are yeh up to it?" the man asked.

Tahirah thought for a moment. She had always wanted to know how to read and write those fascinating symbols that she practically already knew by heart. She smiled a little, thinking that it might be an adventure for her, and it would end up being special, only to her. She looked at the man, now confident in her decision, and nodded.

"Ah, that a girl! I knew you'd like it!" the man said triumphantly. "I'll send someone for you on your first lesson, aiight?" Tahirah nodded again before the man put out his torch and walked her out of the room. He was quickly off before she could say another word. Tahirah left to finish her own work, feeling a strange sense of excitement for what she was going to do.


	3. Chapter 3

Tahirah had finally been relieved of her duties late that night. She was exhausted as she slipped off her sandals so that she could finally walk around barefooted again. She sighed as she sat. She was about to lie down when she heard voices. She froze, wondering what they were talking about because their voices were low.

"Did you hear what happened?" one female voice said.

"No, what?" another female voice responded.

"Prince Atem. They say he really made quite the stir today."

"Oh? What did he do now? That boy is always trying to change something. He would revolutionize this whole country if he could…"

The first voice laughed a little. "Yeah, there's something about him… Anyway, the council tried to set up for his marriage."

The other gasped, "Ooh…! Who is it?" she asked.

"I'm not sure. Apparently it's some princess from a nearby land."

"So what happened?"

"He wouldn't have it. He said that marriage wasn't anything without love."

"Ha! What does that boy know about love?"

Tahirah stopped listening and laid down. She stared up through the pitch black of the room to the ceiling. Prince Atem was going to get married? Surely not now… Love? What did anyone know about love? All she knew was that she knew next to nothing about it, but she wanted it, how she had always wanted it. She wiped a tear that had fallen and was rolling down the side of her face. She couldn't think about that now. She had lasted this long without anyone to care for her. All she had was the palace and its safe barriers. With the thought of another new day, she closed her eyes and went to sleep.

Prince Atem was awakened early the next morning by some servants. He was washed up with the normal bath and oils, dressed into his usual elegance of white linen, tied together with a golden sash, and accompanied by jewelry before he was ready to go to his morning lesson. Atem was quick to learn in every one of his lessons. Sometimes he would even prove the scholars wrong. At the end of his lesson, he was pulled aside by an advisor.

"I have told you, Zasha, I do not wish to marry some foreign princess," Atem began, knowing the look his advisor had given him as soon as they'd stopped.

"But-but Prince! You must marry someone of loyal descent, or else-"

"Or else what? The world shall come to an end?" Atem retorted.

"No… but it is tradition, Prince. It's how it has always been. Besides, royal ties give benefits to both sides."

"Oh really? So love has never had anything to do with it? And you are saying that Egypt should give all of its riches away? Why don't we use it for something of real use and help the people of Egypt? Rebuild those villages destroyed by the ever-growing problem we seem to have with pillaging thieves, give food to those from the palace village who are always begging for it, anything, but I am not marrying a princess who merely wants our riches for herself," Atem finished.

"I'm sure that you could learn to love each other in time, it has been done," the advisor began again.

"You have my answer, now leave me be," Atem said, turning from him.

"Very well, My Prince…" the advisor bowed before leaving.

Atem spent the rest of the day in his lessons or otherwise attending to his princely duties. During the late afternoon, he walked through the open hallway towards the garden for a break. On his way, he spotted a servant girl about his age with long brown hair and piercing blue eyes. He didn't know who she was, but he watched her for a little while. She seemed different than other servants; she seemed high spirited. As he watched, he noticed that she was helping some younger servants finish their work. _"How difficult a servant's life must be…" _he thought to himself, _"I wonder if one day things shall be different." _He pondered on this as he reached the garden and sat in his favorite spot within it.

Soon enough, Atem's father came up behind him and put his hands on his son's shoulders. Atem turned to the Pharaoh and smiled, "Hello, Father," he greeted.

His father nodded, "Good afternoon, Son. Have your lessons been well today?" he asked.

Atem nodded, "Yes, they've been fine," he said, though he seemed distant.

"What's wrong, Atem?" his father asked, noticing how he was acting.

"I just don't understand it, Father. What is the purpose of me marrying someone I don't even know? What good shall I be doing?" Atem asked.

"You must reason with the councilmen."

"But I am almost thirteen years old, Father. Can I not make my own decisions?"

"I know it's hard to think about, Son, but perhaps you should at least give it a try. Don't you think? Maybe it won't be as bad as you think."

There was a pause. "You're probably right…" Atem said. He sighed, "I just want to protect this kingdom when I grow up, and make it stronger. Just like you have, Father."

His father smiled. "And you will, I know it," he said before ruffling Atem's hair. "You have a lot of courage, Atem. You'll make a fine ruler one day."

Atem then smiled as well, "Thank you, Father."


	4. Chapter 4

Once the news was out that Atem had agreed to meet the princess, his councilmen arranged for her to visit the palace in only a few weeks time. Things were a little hectic around the palace as preparations were made for the princess's arrival, but the weeks seemed to pass quickly. Everyone from the highest lords to the lowliest servants were busy with some kind of business. However, Tahirah doubled her efforts in order to also squeeze in her scribe lessons. She was worn out all the time, but the thought of herself learning something as important as how to read and write kept her happy. She knew it was dangerous if she was tired during her duties, so she fought off her fatigue.

Only a few days before the princess's arrival, one of the lords in charge of the accommodations for her stay pulled Tahirah aside as she was walking down the hall just after her writing lesson. Tahirah bowed.

"Do you wish something of me, Lord Khenti?" she asked.

"The princess that shall be visiting the palace in a few days, you shall be one of her personal servants."

"Me?" Tahirah asked, wide-eyed. "For certain this must be an important job, My Lord."

"It is. However, you are the princess's age, and you seem to be one of the best young servants. We need the princess to be comfortable during her stay. You shall tend to her every wish. Is that understood?"

Tahirah nodded. "Of course. Whatever she asks, she will have, Lord Khenti." She bowed again.

"Good. You are dismissed," he said with a curt nod.

Tahirah left quickly. Her head was practically spinning. She could hardly think of the task given to her. _"I shall get to meet the princess…" _she thought to herself.

The very next day, Tahirah was helping the palace artists paint a wall as a decoration for the princess's arrival. Tahirah held the bowl of paint in her arms as the artists worked it onto a portion of the wall. She was very still as they worked. Suddenly, Prince Atem himself could be seen walking down the hallway towards them. Tahirah had turned to see him and couldn't help but stare, but he was also getting closer. So he wouldn't notice, she swiftly turned back. At the same time, the painter had turned for more paint. This caused Tahirah to stumble back and fall, dropping the paint; it splattered everywhere. Before she knew it, Tahirah was frantically trying to clean the mess, while the painter was cursing angrily at her.

Atem walked up to them. "An advisor sent me to check-" he stopped, seeing what was going on. "Stop yelling at the girl," he told the painter with a frown.

The painter immediately stopped. "I am sorry, Prince, but this servant girl dropped the paint for this wall for the princess," he said.

"It doesn't matter. I'm telling you to stop," he said in a commanding voice. "Now just help her clean it up and carry on."

"Yes, My Prince," the painter said before he bowed.

Tahirah had been listening silently and unmoving from the ground, for she didn't dare to look up at the prince. Before she could do anything to avoid it any longer, Prince Atem was right beside her.

"It's all right. I'm not going to bite," Atem assured with a laugh.

Tahirah almost jumped as she looked to her side to see the prince kneeling right beside her. "Of-Of course not, Prince…" she said.

"I've seen you before…" he said, looking at her closely. "You always seem different from the others," he mused with a smile. "What--?" but he was cut off.

"Prince Atem!" a voice rang out from behind them.

Atem cringed, "What is it, Khenti?" he asked, standing again.

"You were supposed to be back already to check all the preparations," Khenti replied, "What is taking you so- What is this?" he asked, looking at the scene. "Ah, the girl I've assigned to be one of the princess's personal servants. Making messes, are we?"

"If she has to do so much, then you should leave her alone so that she can do it all with a decent amount of sleep," Atem cut in impatiently. "Now, if you please, let's go and leave them to their work," he said.

"Yes, let us go," Khenti said, already beginning to leave.

Atem gave a last glace at Tahirah and then left after him. This time, Tahirah had watched in complete awe. Did the prince just defend her? Deciding she should think about it some other time, she went back to cleaning up the paint. Atem, however, had now seen the same servant twice, and there was definitely something about her.


	5. Chapter 5

**The day had finally come. The princess had arrived in a grand entrance, causing all of the palace villagers to come out and watch. Atem was at the entrance of the palace with his father as she arrived. The princess walked up to them, followed by a fair amount of her own servants as well as other palace workers that were helping. She was quite attractive and dressed in delicate white clothing, fit for a princess like herself. She had silky, straight black hair that reached just below her shoulders and solid brown eyes.**

"**Princess," Atem greeted calmly with a polite nod of his head.**

"**Prince Atem!" she greeted back excitedly. "My, you're as cute as they say!" she said before laughing. "My name is Isis, by the way. You may call me so," she said.**

"**Princess Isis," Atem began, though he was slightly irritated, he did well not to show it, "My servants shall lead you to your room. Tell them if you have need of anything else," he said.**

"**But I want to stay with you!" she pouted. "Why am I not allowed to be with my future husband?" she asked.**

"**Nothing has been decided yet," Atem reminded her. "The feast on behalf of your arrival shall begin later on."**

"**Fine," she said. She then quickly reached over and kissed his cheek before she followed the servants to her room.**

**When Isis entered her room, she looked around it curiously. She eventually plopped down onto the bed, "How boring," she said. She looked at the servants. "What are you waiting for?" she asked, "Go make yourselves useful!" The servants all jumped in fright before scattering. Moments later, there was a knock at her door and Isis ordered someone to answer it. Standing in the doorway, almost out of breath, was Tahirah. **

"**Princess," Tahirah began, regaining her composure. "I give you my humblest welcome."**

"**Who are you?" Isis cut in with an almost disgusted look.**

"**My name is Tahirah, Your Highness. I have been assigned to be your personal servant during your stay here at the palace," Tahirah explained before bowing.**

"**Well, whoever-you-are, you can start by getting my things for the feast tonight and dressing me," Isis said.**

"**Yes, Princess," Tahirah said before doing as she was told. She made sure to do everything just as the princess said as she helped her to get ready. **

**During the feast, Isis was introduced to all of the lords and nobles. Tahirah also attended Isis to the feast in case she was needed. Prince Atem remained calm and quiet, not nearly as enthusiastic as Isis was. Tahirah was happy just to be there and be able to watch. Although Atem was able to keep up with Isis and what she wanted throughout the night, Tahirah began to grow sleepy as it got later. She eventually ended up dozing off against the wall.**

**Suddenly, something had hit her over the head. She quickly opened her eyes and looked up, very startled. Above her was Isis herself.**

"**What do you think you are doing?" Isis asked, frowning in disapproval.**

"**I-I'm sorry, P-Princess, I was just resting," Tahirah tried to explain as she stood up straight. "What is it that you need?" she asked.**

"**I need for you to not sleep, you filthy slave," Isis retorted. She raised her hand and was about to strike Tahirah when a hand caught her around her wrist. There behind her was Prince Atem.**

"**I would appreciate it if you didn't hit my servants, Princess," he said calmly.**

"**Aw, Dear, I told you to call me Isis," she said in a sugary voice.**

"**As I recall, Princess…" he replied in a quiet, regretful-sounding way. Isis put down her arm as Atem released his grip on her.**

"**Hmph, I didn't want to dirty my hands anyway," she said with a smug look before walking away to continue on with the festivities.**

**Atem watched her leave before looking at Tahirah. "You are relieved of your duties for tonight. I suggest you go on and get some rest," he told her. Tahirah nodded without any objections. "Thank you, My Prince," she said, bowing. She then hurried off with her heart racing.**

**Tahirah reached the servants' quarters more quickly than she realized. She leaned back against the wall and panted for a few moments. She shook her head. What had she just let happen? It was a good thing the prince was there. The prince. She felt flustered just thinking about it. Had he stood up for her? Again? When she had finally caught her breath, she climbed into her little bed, hardly remembering to even take off her sandals. Her mind was still swimming with the events of the day, but she needed the rest, so she soon drifted off to sleep.**


End file.
